**5.1. Johann Jonston**

The first researcher of the biology of marine mammals in this period was Johann Jonston13. Although born in Poland, Jonston's father was Scottish and his mother German. He was educated in St Andrews, Frankfurt, Cambridge, and Leiden, receiving a medical degree from the last two institutions. He traveled extensively throughout Europe teaching, and despite offers for academic positions, he decided to make a living as an independent scholar (Miller 2008). He published *Historiae naturalis de Piscibum Partem* in 1657. Jonston was another encyclopedist who when it came to natural history was more a compiler than anything else, relying heavily on Gessner and Aldrovandi while adding some new information from New World creatures from George Marcgrave. Thus, he did not offer any significant critical view to his sources although his descriptions were briefer than those of his predecessors. He gave no hint of biological classification for marine mammals and also added further mistakes and legends (even 'monsters'). He slightly modified Aldrovandi's classification of fishes by adding 'pelagic' fishes. Yet his books were widely read and translated.

He dealt with cetaceans on pages 213-224 of his *Historiae* and included the same species as Aldrovandi: *Balaena*, *Physetere*, *Orca*, *Delphino*, *Phocaena* and the mythical *scolopendra cetacea*, the sawfish, pinnipeds, and the manatee among the cetaceans.
